Difference between revisions of "Atari Jaguar"

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* [http://www.atariage.com/Jaguar/archives/DoomSource/ Jaguar Doom Source Code]
 
* [http://www.atariage.com/Jaguar/archives/DoomSource/ Jaguar Doom Source Code]
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUCcfvcmNy0 Jaguar Doom Commercial]
 
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUCcfvcmNy0 Jaguar Doom Commercial]
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* [https://www.doomworld.com/vb/source-ports/91624-calico/ Calico, a back-port of Jaguar Doom to the PC]
  
 
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Revision as of 16:03, 25 April 2017

Box cover of Atari Jaguar Doom.

The Jaguar version of Doom was published by Atari on November 1, 1994, and was developed by id Software. Like the PC version, this version of Doom was developed on the NEXTSTEP platform, and compiled to run on the Jaguar. The bulk of the engine was programmed by John Carmack, while Dave Taylor handled the multiplayer code. Unlike most console ports, the source code of the Jaguar version is available. This version was the first official port of Doom to begin its development cycle, although the 32X version was released first. Heavily optimized for execution in a limited game console environment, this port became the basis for most others: the 32X, 3DO, GBA and PlayStation ports are all derived from it.

Differences between the Jaguar and PC versions

A screenshot from the Jaguar version of Doom.
Atari Jaguar gamepad overlay for Doom.

This version of Doom only features one continuous "episode" like Doom II, as opposed to the three episodes in the PC version. Unlike Doom II, there are no text intermissions to separate the game into segments, although the sky does change after MAP08 and MAP19. 22 of the 27 maps from the PC version are featured, although all have been modified, some significantly, along with two new maps. The missing maps are Tower of Babel, Hell Keep, Slough of Despair, Dis and Warrens. To add a slight bit of confusion, the two new maps take the names Tower of Babel and Hell Keep, while Fortress of Mystery has been renamed Dis in this version.

As mentioned above, the maps are modified from their originals. They typically use less texture variation and have simpler geometry versus their PC counterparts. For some of the larger maps, entire portions of their layout have been removed. In addition, crushers are no longer present in any of the maps. Despite using fewer textures, many maps now have entirely new texture themes, and several new textures have been added. Some of these textures are taken from Doom II, but others are new to this version.

The cyberdemon and spiderdemon monsters are not present. Spectres are still included in many maps but are rendered normally, without the partial invisibility effect, which makes them indistinguishable from demons. The partial invisibility and light amplification visor items have been removed from any maps that originally featured them. Interestingly, MAP24 still has a partial invisibility thing, but it is flagged to only appear in multiplayer and that map is not available from the area selection menu. Health and armor bonuses now give two points instead of one, but about half of them are removed from the maps.

For the skill levels, I'm too young to die was renamed I'm A Wimp, and Hey, not too rough was shortened to Not too rough. Also, Nightmare mode in this version is similar to UV -fast, as enemies no longer respawn like on Nightmare mode in the PC version; here they only have their -fast parameters.

The Jaguar version is the only console port that does not feature any music during gameplay. This is because Jaguar's mathematics co-processor DSP chip also handles playing music. As Doom uses the DSP for most of the collision detection and other things, the DSP does not have enough free cycles to process music while running the other game functions. The port does, however, have music for the title and intermission screens. Possibly due to lack of music in the maps, the intermission screens feature renditions of selected tracks from the PC version soundtrack instead of a dedicated intermission track.

Given the Atari Jaguar controller's large number of buttons, this version is the only console port with direct access to all weapons, instead of cycling through as in other console versions. As a bit of a trade-off, this version does not have dedicated strafe buttons, instead C must be held along with a direction.

This version has a 2 player mode for cooperative play and deathmatch via JagLink, a proprietary network interface that was separately released for the console.

The status bar has been redrawn. It is now brown, larger and rearranged compared to the PC bar, and no longer features the ammo totals panel. Instead, an area counter panel now shows the number of the map you are playing. When playing multiplayer the arms and area panels are replaced by your frags and his frags panels, his frags showing your opponent's number of frags.

This version does not allow saving during maps, but will remember any map completed. The player can choose to start on any map that has been completed from the main menu.

Levels

Map Name Differences from PC version
MAP01: Hangar Texturing simplifications in the first room; the columns have been removed in the armor room
MAP02: Plant
MAP03: Toxin Refinery
MAP04: Command Control The blue key room is now opened from the inside by a switch instead of stepping into a lit square; the dead ends in the maze behind the blue door are connected by a new passageway; the computer room in the eastern portion of the map has been removed and replaced with a 4-way junction.
MAP05: Phobos Lab
MAP06: Central Processing The red key room has been removed; the red key is relocated outside in the nukage area. Two of the slime pool areas behind the blue key door have also been removed.
MAP07: Computer Station
MAP08: Phobos Anomaly Only the northernmost section of the star shaped room opens when the Barons are killed. The exit teleporter is moved to a separate room and functions as a normal exit.
MAP09: Deimos Anomaly
MAP10: Containment Area Most of the western and southeastern portions of the map have been removed. A few rooms remain which are inaccessible, and as a result, 100% secrets cannot be obtained on this level. The Sony PlayStation version of this map is the only one which fixes this error.
MAP11: Refinery
MAP12: Deimos Lab Due to the lack of crushers, the yellow key crusher area has been redesigned. The yellow key is now in a room with two doors that can only be opened from the outside. Once the key is picked up, a trap opens, and a switch inside re-opens the doors.
MAP13: Command Center Most of the western and extreme southern portions of the map, along with the secret exit, have been removed.
MAP14: Halls of the Damned The pathways leading from the central room near the yellow key area have been removed. The yellow key was relocated to this central room.
MAP15: Spawning Vats The entire eastern portion of the map has been removed. The soulsphere secret in the start room has been removed, along with the pair of rooms containing the first of the switches required to access it in the west of the map. The secret behind one of the nukage alcoves has been reconfigured - the passageway and teleporter room have been removed, instead the center alcove is now the teleporter to the secret area.
MAP16: Tower of Babel This is a new map that is entirely different from the PC version.
MAP17: Hell Keep This is a new map that is entirely different from the PC version.
MAP18: Pandemonium The western portion of the map has been removed.
MAP19: House of Pain The crusher room and the extreme eastern portion of the map has been removed.
MAP20: Unholy Cathedral The secret area overlooking the "red damaging floor room" in the northwest has been removed. The traps in the teleport trap room next to the exit open instead of letting monsters teleport in because of the fact that all monsters are deaf, and that monsters are not allowed to activate walk-over linedef actions.
MAP21: Mt. Erebus The lava lake that surrounds the central area of the map, along with the water area that contained the secret exit have been removed.
MAP22: Limbo One dead end passage in the blood maze has been removed.
MAP23: Dis This is Fortress of Mystery from the PC version.
MAP24: Military Base The trap in the star area with rocket launcher opens instead of letting monsters to teleport in both because of the fact that all monsters are deaf, and that monsters are not allowed to activate walk-over linedef actions.

Maps

Bugs

Error message while attempting to access MAP25.
Error message while attempting to access MAP26.

General

The file in_main.c of the source for this version contains definitions for two more maps, Fortress of Mystery and Warrens, which are commented out. Seemingly both maps were planned to be included. A hint for this can be found by using the level warp cheat. This cheat uses the numbers on the gamepad, and they work for all 24 maps. If one tries this for MAP25 or 26, the game crashes with an error message. This does not happen if one tries it with numbers 27 and up.

The automap was meant to have two cheat codes, both activated by "dialing" a number in on the gamepad's number pad while viewing the map. 8002545465 was meant to activate the "all map" cheat, while 8005778788 was meant to activate the "show things" cheat. Due to a logic error which renders the digit zero unable to be matched, neither of these codes works.

Level-Specific

MAP02

An Imp is placed outside of the map boundary behind the exit switch, making it impossible to get 100% kills.

MAP10

The secret area that branched off the crusher hallway in the PC version is still present in the map, but completely inaccessible. Due to this it is impossible to get 100% kills or secrets.

MAP20

The secret that requires yellow key cannot be opened at all, though the yellow key can be found, as the special action for the wall was removed. Chainsaw and supercharge are still in that secret, so getting 100% items and secrets on the level is impossible.

Soundtrack

Map Name Track played after this map
MAP01: Hangar The Imp's Song
MAP02: Plant Kitchen Ace (And Taking Names)
MAP03: Toxin Refinery On The Hunt
MAP04: Command Control I Sawed The Demons
MAP05: Phobos Lab The Demons From Adrian's Pen
MAP06: Central Processing Intermission From DOOM
MAP07: Computer Station Sinister
MAP08: Phobos Anomaly Nobody Told Me About id
MAP09: Deimos Anomaly Donna To The Rescue
MAP10: Containment Area At Doom's Gate
MAP11: Refinery The Imp's Song
MAP12: Deimos Lab Kitchen Ace (And Taking Names)
MAP13: Command Center On The Hunt
MAP14: Halls of the Damned I Sawed The Demons
MAP15: Spawning Vats The Demons From Adrian's Pen
MAP16: Tower of Babel Intermission From DOOM
MAP17: Hell Keep Sinister
MAP18: Pandemonium Nobody Told Me About id
MAP19: House of Pain Donna To The Rescue
MAP20: Unholy Cathedral At Doom's Gate
MAP21: Mt. Erebus The Imp's Song
MAP22: Limbo Kitchen Ace (And Taking Names)
MAP23: Dis On The Hunt
MAP24: Military Base I Sawed The Demons

Trivia

  • There was a television commercial for this port which interspersed gameplay clips with a priest letting loose incendiary rants.
  • The enigmatic extramap.wad may have originally been intended as an additional level for this game.

Sources

  • Interview with id Software on the making of Jaguar and 32X Doom at VideoGames magazine, December 1994, pages 68-71.

External links

Source code genealogy
Based on Name Base for
Doom v1.2 Jaguar Doom Doom for 3DO
Doom for Game Boy Advance
Doom for Sega 32X
Doom for Sony PlayStation